KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) wants Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli to retract a statement that disputed the cost of developing the Central Database Hub (Padu).
Seeking a ruling from Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on Thursday (Nov 7), Dr Wee said the RM85mil cost he cited was reported by several news outlets including PKR’s party organ Suara Keadilan.
Showing printouts of news reports in the Dewan Rakyat, Dr Wee added that a quick check on the Internet showed he had quoted the correct figure.
Dr Wee said Rafizi had disputed the figure, saying a “different officer” had furnished the data.
“I do not wish to refer the minister to Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee, but to clear my name I am asking the Speaker to advise the minister.
"I am not trying to create problems, but I will defend my good name to the very end,” he said.
@drweekasiong Semalam Menteri Ekonomi, YB Rafizi Ramli tuduh saya guna angka tidak benar dalam dewan yang mulia Dewan Rakyat, berkenaan kos RM85 juta bagi membangunkan sistem PADU. Hari ini saya bangkitkan Peraturan Mesyuarat dan memohon beliau perbetulkan apa yang tidak betul. Ini juga penting bagi saya membersihkan nama saya. Saya hanya ulang semula angka yang disebut Rafizi, tapi saya pula dituduh beri maklumat tidak benar. Yesterday, the Minister of Economy, YB Rafizi Ramli, accused me of using incorrect figures in the august Dewan Rakyat regarding the cost of RM85 million for developing the PADU system. Today, I raised a point of order and requested that he correct what was inaccurate. This is also important for me to clear my name. I merely repeated the figure mentioned by Rafizi, but I am the one being accused of providing false information. #WeeCare #JurucakapRakyat ♬ original sound - DrWeeKaSiong
Rafizi recently said it was untrue that Padu was developed with an allocation of RM85mil, saying that only RM31mil had been spent as of September.
According to Rafizi, the RM31mil included RM800,000 on the servers, firewall and network security, RM4.6mil for platform database encryption and other purposes, and RM6.4mil for cloud services.
The heftiest expenditure on Padu, Rafizi added, was RM19.3mil for nationwide registration operations.
Dr Wee said if the minister was going to stick to his guns, he should provide a detailed explanation to the august House.
Johari then said Dr Wee could file a motion regarding his proposed remedy.
“That will be for the best, as there will be a black-and-white record.
"If I advise him (Rafizi) there won’t be any official record. (Let me know) if you want him to correct the facts or apologise,” Johari said.
